Week 2: Summary Writing
Week of Mon, Aug 24 · week closes Fri, Aug 28
This week's items
Exact due times are in Canvas. Late out-of-class assignments accepted up to one week past the original due date. In-class process work and Discussion Board assignments cannot be made up.
Know these cold
- A summary is a condensed restatement of a source's main ideas in your own language. Its purpose is to tell a reader what the original says, not to evaluate or respond.
- Read the full source before writing a single sentence of your summary. Identify the central claim, the main supporting points, and the conclusion.
- Start your summary with a signal phrase that names the author and the work: 'In We the Animals, Justin Torres depicts...' This gives your reader immediate context.
- A summary stays neutral — do not insert your opinion, your examples, or your analysis. Those belong in a response or in synthesis writing, not in a summary.
- Paraphrasing means restating someone else's idea in your own words and sentence structure. Simply substituting synonyms without changing the sentence structure is not paraphrasing — it is patchwriting, which violates academic integrity.
- The length of a summary depends on its purpose. A one-sentence summary captures the thesis. A paragraph summary covers the main moves. A longer summary tracks the argument section by section.
- A strong summary signals the structure of the original: 'Torres begins by...,' 'He then shows...,' 'The author concludes...' These transitions help your reader follow the original's logic.
- After you draft a summary, check it against the original: does your version accurately represent the author's meaning, without adding your own interpretation or missing a crucial point?
Discussion and forum — how to show up
Discussion post
- Read the assigned source for Week 2 and write one sentence that captures the author's main point without using any of the author's exact words.
- What is the difference between summarizing a text and quoting from it? When would you choose one over the other?
Netiquette from the syllabus: address ideas, not people. Complete sentences, correct spelling. Personal matters go to email, never the board.
Meerk's quiz — open the Week 2 gate
10 questions, no time limit. 85% on your first attempt in a 24-hour window opens the gate. Retakes inside the window are practice — they help you learn, they don't count. Work alone; the point is to know it, not to have seen it.
Dinner Table Question
Ask at home: In your own words, what is the big idea behind something you recently read or watched — a news article, a video, anything? Practice summarizing it in two sentences.
En español: Con tus propias palabras, ¿cuál es la idea principal de algo que leíste o viste recientemente? Practica resumiéndolo en dos oraciones.